Despite rash opinions, here’s what’s really going on with KC Chiefs’ Travis Kelce

Through three games, Travis Kelce’s typically gaudy statistics are a shadow of what we’d normally expect to see by now.

So, by all means, cue up the reckless conjecture.

About how he’s abruptly aged out of superstardom and/or grown complacent or distracted by his romance with international icon Taylor Swift … and all the globetrotting adventures that have come with that.

Or about how his weekly podcast and budding acting career have left him preoccupied by the possibilities after his enthralling NFL career.

And about why he must not be into this because, you know, he looked upset on the bench after he dropped a pass in the fourth quarter against the Falcons.

But there are a few things that are off-base about the silly and sensational speculation about Kelce, who is coming off what would have been his eighth straight 1,000-yard season if he hadn’t opted to sit out the 2023 regular-season finale.

That was to rest up for a four-game playoff run in which he had 32 catches for 355 yards and three touchdowns.

Even if Kelce will turn 35 next month and surely doesn’t have the same 40-yard dash time or infinite endurance he had a decade ago, that sort of stuff, not to mention his uncanny savvy and game speed, doesn’t just evaporate over a few months.

(As safety Justin Reid told The Star’s Sam McDowell just before the season opener against the Ravens, “He feels like he’s timeless, because he’s so smart and knows the moves.”)

So scoff if you wish, but there are some notable variables at play in his diminished tangible production: eight catches for 69 yards with no touchdowns — an aggregate that would feel at least a little different if his stirring 41-yard catch against the Bengals hadn’t been negated by a holding penalty.

Consider an intangible dynamic, no doubt one of many, that Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes pointed to independently on Wednesday.

With Mahomes seeking to lock in on his favorite target late in the first half on Sunday, Mahomes observed that the linebacker and both safeties were focused on Kelce.

So rather than tempt fate, he threw to Noah Gray, abandoned in the middle of the field, for 13 yards. “Not one person,” Mahomes said, was on Gray.

“That’s the impact that (Kelce) has on the game,” Mahomes said.

The broader point was something Reid was eager to address on Wednesday as the Chiefs prepared to travel to Los Angeles to play the Chargers, who figure to be just as cognizant of Kelce as anyone else: He’s amassed 25 catches for 396 yards and six touchdowns in three games at SoFi Stadium.

“I know people are saying that he’s old or whatever, has distractions and all this,” Reid said, chuckling. “The defenses don’t think that.”

That in part has explained Rashee Rice’s scalding start with 24 catches and 288 yards and two touchdowns.

“That’s how this thing goes,” Reid said.

And as much as Kelce might like the ball more, Reid said Kelce appreciates what he can provide as he “collects people” to open up space.

After one of Rice’s catches in the 22-17 victory over Atlanta, Reid said, Kelce approached him as he came off the field and said, “Man, just keep dialing him up and let him do that.”

Maybe Kelce would be griping if the Chiefs weren’t 3-0 as they seek to become the first team to win three straight Super Bowls. Chances are his numbers ultimately won’t quite be what they’ve been in the past.

But at this stage of his career, Kelce surely can see the big picture in numerous ways.

It’s a long season, with ample opportunities ahead, and winning another Super Bowl with teammates and a coach he cherishes is what matters most.

To Mahomes’ way of thinking, Kelce is handling the situation amazingly.

When he spoke of feeling sheepish about not getting the ball to him more, he said Kelce’s reaction was, “I just want to win, man.”

At some point, Mahomes added, teams will have to adjust or Rice will rack up 2,000 yards.

“As the season goes on, teams are going to have to do those one-on-one matchups (on Kelce),” Mahomes said. “And that’s when Travis will eat.”

Speaking of which, it’s absurd to question Kelce’s hunger.

For one thing, isolate on him during a game and the burn is evident.

For another, consider the energizing force he was once again during the slog of training camp in St. Joseph.

In mid-August, offensive coordinator Matt Nagy referred to Kelce as a key leader and mentor and conduit from coaches to players.

Especially in the moment.

“You get to this part of camp right now, it can be a little bit grueling,” Nagy said then. “You can get a little bit of that ‘I feel sorry for myself’ mode. He doesn’t let that happen. And when you hear that come from a player like (him), it impacts those young guys and they push through.”

Never mind that early in camp Kelce thought about the fact this was Year 12 in St. Joe — and how that translated to having “spent about an entire year of my life up here in the dorms.”

“This is my sanctuary,” he said after the Chiefs finished their first week of full-squad practices.

Even when it’s not all about him. And even when some days are more challenging than others.

“Everybody has those (hard) days,” Kelce said two days before the opener against Baltimore. “But what you’ve got to understand is that the goal in mind of the team is bigger than you, and everybody needs you to be at your best.

“My college coach, Butch Jones, always told me, ‘Either you’re a fountain or a drain, baby.’ You don’t want to be draining anybody out here. Give people life.”

Something Kelce still is giving the Chiefs plenty of.